Outlook: The Panthers struggled last season due to lack of experience and finished with a disappointing record in the process. Alma will again be a young squad this year but will have Ackley back in the circle. Vedrode provides the biggest power at the plate for the Panthers. The problem that Alma will run into again this season is being able to stay competitive in one of the areas strongest conferences. A strong conference coupled with a lack of experience may spell another difficult season for the Panthers.

Peska says: “If Alecia can stay healthy, then we might surprise some people. Even though we’re a young team, we’re pretty well skilled. We play in a very tough league where seven of the eight teams have appeared in the state semifinals over the last few years. We’re also scheduled to play in two difficult tournaments, including the Michigan Stars tournament. Hopefully that will prepare us for the conference and the district.”

Outlook: The Bears return seven starters from a season ago, thus they are a year older and wiser. One year ago Ashley had trouble with overall numbers but that is a thing of the past as they now have 11 players on the roster. Coach Andrews has a young overall team but also is a bit ahead of the curve in terms of experience as he started six or seven freshman a year ago. The Bears likely won’t make a run at the MSAC title but should get some wins this year all while getting better for the future.

Andrews says: “We’re strong all the way across the board because we have more experience this year. Our goal is to improve every week and hopefully win some upsets once the tournament comes around.”

Outlook: While there are some new faces and the roster as a whole is young, two dynamic hitters in Steffke and David return along with an ace in Rowe. That triumvirate should make the Aggies very formidable and potentially better than they were a year ago when their 24-13 mark was nothing to sniff at. But it’s obvious you can’t win many softball games with only having the contributions of three players, so what the rest of the roster brings to the table will be vital for team success. Players such as Theisen and Lorenz show a lot of potential and should have no problems filling spots on the field and in the lineup. After winning the Highland Conference crown in 2011, Beal City fell a bit short of that goal last year as it settled for second place. Getting back to that top spot is a prime focus as is capturing a district crown once May rolls around.

Coach Wernette says: “This is a good group and our team chemistry is outstanding. I don’t have to worry about any of these girls getting in trouble and they all get along great. That is important in having success on the field. We have some question marks and youth at some spots, but I like this team and I think it has a chance to be very good. We haven’t been outside much at all, so we are still trying to figure out who is going to play where. Once we get settled into the season, it’s a group that should only get better each day.”

Outlook: The Huskies saw their season end a year ago in a thrilling 14-inning contest against Sacred Heart in a district final. Gone is one of the area’s best pitchers in Sam Willman, the biggest loss from Breckenridge’s conference title squad. Despite the loss of Willman, the Huskies do have a pitcher in Sheldon who saw some time in the circle a year ago. The TVC West will be a more competitive league this season with the possibility of three to four teams competing for a championship. With a sizable number of players returning, the Huskies should be a favorite to clinch at least a share of another conference title.

Gulliver says: “Our goal for the year is to continue to improve with each day, each practice and each game. We’re going to hopefully score more runs this season. We have the offensive power to do so and we’ve been working on a whole lot of things in practice, including hitting and base running. We also have some pretty good gloves and arms as well. As far as the conference this season, I don’t think it will be a one or two-team league. There’s probably four teams that could compete for a conference title. We also have a tough non-conference schedule this season. Everyone has a great attitude and we just want to continue to improve.”

Outlook: The Eagles return pretty much intact from 2012 so the expectations obviously have been raised in 2013. Carson City has a nice blend of speed and power in the lineup and should be strong one through nine. Wilcox will be asked to be a workhorse for Carson City this year and if she continues to improve in the circle more wins will likely follow. Two years ago the Eagles won five games and last year they bumped that total up to 18. If this trend continues Carson City could have a banner season. The move to the MSAC, from the CMAC, will be interesting in that this is a talented team moving to a talented conference. Whether or not the Eagles can shake up the MSAC standings awaits to be seen.

Jensen says: “We have some high expectations this year because a lot of these girls have played softball together for many, many years. A quarter of these girls have been working all winter getting ready for the season. We know we have some talent and we expect to have a good season.”

Outlook: The Warriors return eight players including a pair of seniors in Denslow and Sellers. Denslow, Earl and Johnson put up impressive offensive numbers a year ago and will figure to once again be leaders at the plate for Chippewa Hills. Johnson had nine wins a season ago as a freshman and will again be a big part of the success that the Warriors earn.The Warriors are a young but experienced squad and with that experience coming at the plate and in the circle, Chippewa Hills should be able to clinch a winning season this year and possibly contend for a CSAA title.

Denslow says: “The sky is the limit. I think we’ll be there contenting in the conference. This is a fairly strong conference. We want to work towards a conference title and we host districts this season so that is important as well. We want to continue to improve with each practice and we want to continue to build our program. Most importantly, we want to continue on the right track.”

Outlook: On paper the Pioneers appear to be primed for a solid season ahead as they have lots of talent on the roster. Benchley is a returning All-State selection while Petree, English, Winter and Reger are all experienced position players who can pick it in the field and hit for average and power. Halfmann will be the ace of the staff and is coming off an excellent campaign 2012. If the Pioneers can find a solid No. 2 in the rotation it would only help an already strong team be that much better. The Pioneers should contend for the Jack Pine Conference title this year and considering the success of this core group a postseason run is also not out of the realm of possibility. Want a good team to watch in 2012, well this one fits the bill just fine.

Albers says: “We’ve got a really good group of kids and most of them can play multiple positions. This group wants to win the conference title and have a successful postseason.”

Outlook: Coleman has had a program rich with success over the past 15-plus years, but last year was a bit of a downturn as the Comets were rebuilding and the impact was seen on the field. While Coleman is still very young, there is reason to be optimistic as there are two four-year varsity players on the roster in Murphy and Miller in addition to some younger girls that have the potential to be standouts. With the aforementioned two players being the only two seniors on the roster, there will be plenty of learning on the job yet it would be surprising if Coleman could not improve its win total significantly. The keys this season will include Miller continuing to grow as a pitcher along with the middle of the lineup being able to produce enough runs to give the pitching staff the support it needs. Murphy has the potential to have an outstanding season offensively and will be one to watch. It’s difficult to know at this point whether the Comets have what it takes to battle Vestaburg and Sacred Heart in the Mid-State Activities Conference, but what is clear is that with the history the Coleman program has had it’s too early to count it out. A few injuries hurt the Comets’ depth and talent level at key spots.

Coach Klopf says: “We have a good mix of some veteran players with some up and coming youngsters this season. We had a lot of questions to answer the first few weeks this season. Would we have enough girls to carry a JV team? Who will replace the seniors as well as our injured underclassmen on the varsity? Due to injuries, we will be starting from scratch again this season in the outfield. Once we were sure we had enough for two squads, the next task was to piece the teams together to make sure we had the right mix and that everyone was going to be able to utilize their abilities to the fullest. Some may have to sacrifice for the betterment of the program, but I think we have a good mix of girls on both teams. This mix will allow us to have more options with our at bats and also will give us some more team speed.”

Outlook: After a very successful season record-wise in 2012, the Eagles lost a couple key components to graduation in Hannah Reger and Lyndsay Ruckle, who batted .459 and .427 respectively. Ruckle was also the ace of the pitching staff with an ERA a shade over 1.00, so clearly there are some big shoes to fill. First off, Farwell is extremely young in 2013. There are going to be some growing pains. But with the youth, there is talent. Saupe is an exceptional multi-sport athlete, who will step up as the ace of the staff this year and also be one of the biggest bats in the lineup. Aside from her and a couple others, it is a team full of unknowns. But the ceiling is fairly high with this group and it extends well beyond this year. Eventually the Eagles could be competing with the likes of Clare and Sanford-Meridian at the top of the Jack Pine Conference.

Coach Klinge says: “We have some really good pieces, but we are just young. We have a fast, athletic team and I think by the end of May the work this team puts in is going to pay a lot of dividends.”

Outlook: The Pirates had a losing record overall last season, but playing in the tough CMAC makes life difficult on a daily basis. The good news is that the Pirates return many solid offensive contributors led by Whitford and Friesen, so scoring runs once again should happen with regularity. The question mark, just as it was last season, comes down to pitching. Nicholson got some varsity experience last year that will certainly carry over into this spring, while Proctor and Fitzpatrick are untested at the varsity level to this point. But to the previous point, with the offense in the shape it is in no matter who the pitcher is in any certain game the run support should be there for that individual. Overall, seven starters return from a year ago. That bodes well. The CMAC is always pretty loaded at the top and some teams to look out for include Dansville, Portland St. Pat’s, and Fowler. It’s hard to predict Fulton in the top three or four in the CMAC, yet this should be a very competitive bunch.

Coach Acker says: “I think we will be pretty good this year. The swing factor is with our pitching because we return virtually no experience there. But having seven starters back and a good offensive team should keep us in every game. There are a lot of big bats in this lineup.”

Outlook: In a word the Hornets 2012 outlook is good, perhaps very good. Harrison returns every starter from a year ago and has a solid blend of pitching and hitting. In the circle Lipoveky is a force as she tossed five no-hitters a year ago. Add Brewer into the mix, as she went 8-0 last year, and the Hornets have a legitimate one-two punch. Offensively this team can hit for average and power and has no holes in the lineup one through nine. Coach Cooper is also an aggressive coach so expect the Hornets to manufacture runs aplenty in 2013. The Hornets have all the pieces in place to have a very good season and they will be a team to watch in 2012.

Cooper says: “I expect we will improve on what we did last year because we have everyone returning. I think we should compete with the top teams in the conference because of our experience. Our defense will be the big thing and if it plays well we’re hoping we can be right there at the end.”

Outlook: The Yellowjackets are one of the youngest teams in the area with four freshmen figuring to play a major role on the field. Ithaca is still in the process of determining where everyone fits on the field though. What is established is that four-year starter and 2012 Second Team All-TVC ace Cassie Densmore will see most of the action in the circle. A pair of freshmen in Showers and Bentley will also be in the pitching mix. Kali Densmore, another four-year starter returns behind the plate, as do a pair of three-year starters in Riley and Gose. Riley, a 2012 First Team All-TVC honoree will provide the most power at the plate for the Yellowjackets. Despite a youth movement taking place at Ithaca, the Yellowjackets do have the veteran experience necessary to lead this young squad and they should see an improvement in the win column because of that.

Showers says: “We have an influx of freshmen this season and all four will be on the field for most of the time. We’re still trying to figure where everyone will be at on the field at this time. We’re young but we’re getting there and we’re improving. I think the conference will be more wide open this season as well.”

Outlook: The Mustangs return nine players including four players in what should be a much improved season for Montabella. The injury bug bit the Mustangs early last season and along with illnesses, sidelined a number of players for the season. Many of those players who were injured last season, including Miller, are back. Miller will add the experience Montabella needs in the circle and LaCroix and Ball will provide the strength at the plate for the Mustangs. Both LaCroix and Ball earned First Team All-MSAC honors a season ago. With many of the key pieces on the offensive and defensive end returning, Montabella could very well be one of the biggest surprises in the MSAC this season.

Sawyer says: “We have a lot of experience from last season coming back. We struggled last season because we hadn’t had a junior varsity team in two years. It’s taken awhile to get the program going again. We’re hoping to see some better pitching this season. The future is looking bright and this season should be an improvement.”

Outlook: The Oilers have to replace six players from a year ago and all six were very solid athletes. The only returning position players this year are catcher Brooke Rowley and third sacker Maddie Livingston, so there’s going to be a transition period for the new faces at the new places. In the circle Davis is the obvious staff ace as she had a phenomenal 2012. McIntyre said he was comfortable with his overall defense despite the turnover and felt his pitching staff would be a strength. The biggest concern is where will the offensive production come from because graduating batting averages of .383, .378, .354 and .418 leaves obvious holes. In terms of the SVL the Oilers should be in the mix along with Bay City Wester, Midland, Saginaw Heritage and Midland Dow.

McIntyre says: “I feel good defensively and with our pitching so it’s just a question of how many runs we can score? We have enough quickness to generate more runs but when you lose your top four hitters it makes it tough. The players had a good summer last year so there’s plenty of reason to think we’ll be OK.”

Outlook: This team was really, really good last season. That point was proven when it advanced to the Division 4 state semifinals before losing a nine-inning heartbreaker to Petersburg-Summerfield. Plenty of offense returns and it’s led by Hansen, who reached safely at an eye-popping rate of .653 and stole 33 bases. Basically, every time she was on base Hansen was a threat to score especially with the bats behind her in the lineup including Albaugh. Much of the core is back offensively aside from a couple key departures, so expect the Irish offense to once again put up runs at an astronomical rate. The defense should be very good as well, leaving pitching as the main concern. Kelsey Poag took the ball in most every big game a year ago, but with her graduation it leaves Methner and Fracassi to do the bulk of the pitching this spring. All indications are that they will be capable of doing the job and they should receive tremendous run support. Sacred Heart is probably the favorite to win the Mid-State Activities Conference title this season, yet defending conference champion Vestaburg and a young and promising Coleman squad are going to be aiming at having it shake out differently.

Coach Gaudard says: “Every year is a new year, but absolutely we want to compete for a conference title and make another postseason run. Everyone is working hard right now and I’m happy with what I am seeing. We have lots of offensive weapons and the bottom line is that it’s going to come down to pitching.”

Outlook: The Sharks return seven starters from a year ago as well as three seniors. St. Louis also returns Shattuck and Coty in the circle which should provide . The Sharks will also have their best hitter in Tubbs back. St. Louis struggled a season ago defensively but Hanline believes there will be an improvement this year fielding the ball. The TVC West figures to be a less dominating league this season as opposed to in the past and one that may have some parity too. The Sharks are still a season or two away from having the experience to compete for a conference title but should be able to make a strong push for a middle of the pack finish.

Hanline says: “We hope to have a better season this year. We were very young a year ago and hopefully we’ve matured some. We should be able to win some more games this year as well. The league itself will not be as dominant as it was last year so we’re looking to be able to compete in the conference.”

Outlook: Anytime you have an ace the quality of Kenny, it keeps you in any game especially in the world of softball when games are routinely won 1-0 or 2-1 when two outstanding pitchers duel against each other. Kenny was a major reason the Bluejays won a district title last year and could be poised to better those numbers as a senior. Offensively, Shepherd returns plenty of key bats and have depth in its lineup so don’t expect just one or two girls to be the ones that are carrying the offense. Another note that should be made is in the return of Jill Cheney, who previously coached the Shepherd varsity program for 13 years before stepping aside the last five years as Tracie Lentz was at the program’s helm. Cheney is back in charge, however, and as she’s shown to be a very capable coach in the past it should be a smooth transition. With plenty of experienced players around the diamond, Cheney is stepping into a positive situation. It will be tough to win the Tri-Valley Conference Central as Freeland and Swan Valley are looking to again be very strong, but don’t count out the Bluejays.

Coach Cheney says: “It feels really good to be back coaching the varsity here. Obviously we want to be as competitive as we can possibly be. Quite frankly, the kids want to get down to Battle Creek. Our seniors want to go out on top and that is what you want to see out of your team. We have a very difficult non-conference schedule to prepare us and our conference is going to be tough as well. The kids are excited to get this season started.”

Outlook: The Wolverines won the MSAC title outright last season and have a good squad again this season. However coach Rons has to replace six starters, including his staff ace Kayla Dill, All-State second sacker Lauren Bissell and four-year catcher Jackie Gostomski. Going in the Wolverines have plenty of talent though headed by Jannelle Rons, a versatile player who is one of the best offensive players in mid Michigan. Per usual the Wolverines will be fast on the bases and will manufacture runs via their stealth. This team also has good gap power so expect plenty of runs from Vestaburg in 2012. The pitching staff may not be as deep as in recent years but Jannelle Rons and Gates both have experience. Hayley Johnson will also figure into the mix in the circle. as she was a starter on JV for the past two years. Defensively there will be a transition period, yet historically speaking the Wolveriens usually are very solid with the glove. This will be a team to watch in 2013 because it has plenty of talent.

Rons says: “We’re going to do what we’ve done for the last nine years. I think we’ve got a good shot at being a contender but there is still a lot this team has to learn. Our pitching and team speed are our strengths right now. In the MSAC Sacred Heart and Coleman will always be there so our conference and our district will be tough.”